Power driven hair clipper



sept. 3, 1935.

M. ANDls POWER DRIVEN HAIR CLIPPER Filed Oct. 8, 1931 -Z/ I U IO 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Mm, M f M ATToRNEYs Sept. 3, 1935. Ml ANDlS POWER DRIVN HAIR CLIPPER Filed Oct. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet -2 MII" ATTORNEY Petented Sept. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in power driven, or electromagnetically operated hair clippers.A

Objects of my invention are,--.to improve the structure of such clippers by increasing their sensitivity, whereby the armature and clipper blade may be rendered more instantly responsive, andv therefore more easily tuned to the vibrations of an alternating current; to provide means for regulating the strength of magnetic pull by variably shunting a desired portion of the lines of force; and to accomplish these improvements in a less ex'pensivc hair clipper than those of the electromagnetic -type heretofore manufactured, without sacrifice of durability and with increased security against mal-adjustments by incompetent and inexperienced persons.

A further object of my invention is to provide an electromagnetic hair clipper of standardized design, in which substantially all necessary adjustments may be predetermined at the factory and the necessity for adjustmentby the-operator reduced substantially to the simple operation of regulating the strength of the magnetic circuit through the armature by means of an adjustable shunting bar.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a hair clipper -embodying my invention, with the top wall of the casing partly broken away. and portions of the side walls shown in horizontal section.

Figure 2 is a view of the same in side elevation, 'with the side Wall partially broken away and portions of the top and bottom walls shown in vertical section.

Figure 3 is a view of the armature and associated blade operating parts with the armature.

mounting detached.

Figure 4 is a side elevation, showing a modilied form of my invention, with one side wall partially broken away as in Figure 2 but to a more limited extent.

Figure 5 is a plan view partially broken away as in Figure 1.

' Figure 6 is a view of the modified armature and associated movable parts, with the mounting detached. 1

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In Figures l, 2 and 3 the casing III may be of any ordinary form, preferably provided with a three-pole magnet II having an energizing coil I2 wo'und upon the central polepiece or leg.

The workingend of thecasing is preferably provided with an adjustable mounting I 3 towhich an ordinary comb plate I4 is secured as indicated at I5. The movable clipper blade I6 is mounted upon the blade I 4 and provided with a longitudinally extending corrugation which forms a substantially V-shaped guide receiving groove 5 I1 in its upper surface which receives a at tension applying guide spring I6 having a counter corrugation which engages in the groove I1. The inner margin of this spring is secured to the adjustable head I3. These parts may also be re- 10- garded as of ordinary construction and are not claimed herein except as to the co-operative relation of the guiding means with the blade actuator now to be described.

The electro-magnet II is located within the l5 casing near the end distant from the blades, this being made possible by supporting the blade actuator, including an armature in the magnetic field, from a portion of the casing between the electromagnet and the blades whereby the actuator may 2.0 be operated by the magnet as a lever of the first class. This arrangement brings the fulcrum relatively near to the blades, and emphasizes the problem of utilizing the swinging movement of the actuator for operating the blade in a straight 25 line.

An actuator is employed for the movable blade I6, which includes an armature 20, an armature supporting arm 2I andl a. connector plate 22 having an extension 23, preferably non-metallic, and 30 provided with a forked head 24 which has cylindrically rounded bearing surfaces for engagement between upstanding ears 25 vconnected with the movable blade I6 whereby vibratory movements of the actuator may be transmitted to reciprocate the blade I6 upon the comb plate I 4. The bearings of the forked head member upon the ears 25 are substantially in the line of the axis about which the mounting I3 oscillates for the purpose of adjustment. The actuator is supported from the casing by two crossed springs 26 and 21 connected with the casing by a bracket 26 having a flange 29 to which one end of the spring 21 is secured, and a flange 30 to which an intermediate portion of the spring 26 is secured. The 45 springs 26 and 21 are. flat springs disposed in planes substantially at right angles to each other with their wider or so called flat sides substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the casing.

One end of the spring 26 is secured to a de- 50 pending flange 35 carried by the connector plate 22 and its other end is secured to a shunt bar 36 which extends along the pole faces of the magnet, and is adjustable into greater or less proximity thereto by means of an adjusting screw 31 swiveled to the casing and operable by means of an exterior knob as clearly shown in Figure 1.

'I'he spring 21 connects the bracket flange 29 with the hook shaped extremity 40 of the armature supporting arm 2l whereby this arm holds the armature 2U in the magnetic field, the intensity of which is determined by the position of the shunt bar 36 as above explained.

With the construction above described, it will be obvious that the springs 26 and 2l may not only be used to support the armature but to retract it in the intervals of changing polarity when an alternating current is passed through the energizing coil of the magnet. The springs support the actuator with complete stability against any movement other than a movement in the plane in which the springs flex. And owing to the fact that the springs diverge from their crossing point toward their respective ends, the combined effect of the two springs is to provide the actuator with an axis of oscillation substantially co-incident with the crossing point of the springs. Although the axis shifts slightly during spring flexion, the stroke or oscillatory movement of the actuator is so short that the shifting movement of the axis is scarcely noticeable. The form of the actuator head 24 and its relation to the blade ears 25 is such as to allow the blade to move in a straight line upon the comb plate.

The use of the supporting springs 2b and 2l enables me to avoid the use of a pivot pin which `would be necessarily small and would require lubrication to prevent rapid wear and noisy operation. lt also avoids machine work, makes it possible to employ dies for cutting and shaping the parts from sheet metal and facilitates construction and assembly at minimum cost.

in the modified ferm of construction shown in Figures ll, 5 and 6, the armature and associated parts are substantially pivotally mounted, in this construction the case, the magnet, the blades and their supports, be assumed to be the same as above descri edvlith reference te Figures l, 2 and 3, but the mounting bracket fida is preferably o'f a generally icl-shaped form, with an intermediate portion resting upon the bottom of the casing and one upwardly extending leg 5@ secured to the side wall of the casing by screws it@ engaging in threaded apertures in this leg.

vThe other leg It@ of the bracket is of less height, and a flat spring 2te is secured thereto and also to an adjustable shunt bar 36a having its otherwise free end connected with the casing by an adjusting screw Sla substantially as above described with reference to Figures l, 2 and 3.

The vertically extending portion 5@ of the mounting has its interior face provided with a rib 52 to which one arm of a bowed or U-shaped spring 2la is clamped by the clamping bar 533 and bolts or screws M. The other arm of the spring 21a, extends along the upper margin of the mounting wall 48 and through a slot 55 in a connector member 22a to which the armature bar 20a is secured.

The connector 22a may be made of any suitable material. If non-metallic or of soft metal, it will preferably be provided with a vertically extending groove into which a hard metal filler 6U will be pressed, said ller having a vertically extending V-snaped notch 5l into which a pivotplate or blade 62 may extend from the vertical wall 50 of the mounting bracket. This plate t2 will preferably have a knife-like edge for engagement in the V-shaped notch @l and thus provide a pivot bearing along a line perpendicular to the bottom of the mounting bracket and of the clipper casing. The connecting arm 23a, preferably of ber, will be attached to the connector piece 22a as best shown in Figure 6, and the forwardly pro-v jecting end of this arm will be constructed for engagement with the movable clipper blade substantially as described with reference to Figures l, 2 and 3.

This arm 23a will also preferably be made of non-conducting material and may be non-metallic in order to avoid rattling or squeaking at the points of its connection with the blade.

The use of this spring in combination with the line bearing obtained in the V-shaped notch 6| makes it possible to dispense with a pivot pin and provides a pressure contact bearing which will not rattle or squeak. Also, it will be obvious that there are no parts, other than the shunt bar, to be adjusted after the device leaves the factory and the shunt bar may be adjusted without opening the casing. The casing may be formed of insulating material and may be integral to such an extent that the user will have no access to the interior and will thus be prevented from tampering with the working parts. These statements are equally applicable to the structure disclosed in Figures 1, 2 and 3, my objects being attained in both forms of construction.l

It will be observed that in each form of construction illustrated herein there is no positive pivotal connection or" the actuator with the casing or with any iixed support associated with the casing. In both structures the actuator is supported from the casing by a resilient member which flexes to permit the movement necessary to actuate the blade, but supports the actuator against material movement in any other direction, while allowing to the actuator a slight floating movement of accommodation which' ermits the cutter blade to travel upon the surface of an upturned or oblique shear plate without sepaa tion from such surface and with uniform pre"- sure thereon at all bearing portions of 'the blade. rThis is due to the fact that each spring is free to flex independently of the other in all portions between the points of its connection, and owing to the fact that these hat springs are in planes perpendicular to the bottom of the casing and the plane occupied by the topi surface of the actuator member 22, it is obvious that each spring may also flex with a slight twisting action in addition to its independent horizontal exion and thus avoid any tendency to draw the advancing end of the oscillating cutter blade away from the shear plate at the end of a stroke in opposition to the pressure of the tensioning guide spring i@ in the groove il. The essential difference between the two forms of construction is that, in Figures 4, 5 and 6, an open bearing with an edge or line contact is substituted for the spring 26, shown in Figures l, 2 and 3, as the means cooperative with the other spring for holding the actuator substantially to a true pivotal axis independently of a positive pivotal connection.

The non-metallic forked head in slip joint engagement with the ears on the associated blade provides a noiseless joint characterized as a slip joint connection for the reason that the sides of the head may be inserted while under compression and allowed to expand into pressure contact with the ears. The initial operation of the clipper Will cause the head to slip into its proper relation tothe ears, and it is thus characterized. as

a ab

a slip joint connection eventhough'no slipping movement occurs during ordinary operation of the clipper.

I claim:

l. In an electromagnetically operated hair clipper, the combination with a casing, a set of relatively yiixed and movable blades, means for guiding the movable blade for straight line movement and an electromagnet for operating the movable blade, of an actuator for the movable blade resiliently supported from the casing by a set of crossed fiat springs which permit A swinging movement about an axial line substantially Iperpendicular to the bottom of the casing, said point of connection being located between the blades and the magnet, and the actuator being provided with an amature in the magnetic field.

2. In an electromagnetically operated hair,

clipper, an actuator for a clipper blade having an armature at one end a blade actuating member at the other end, and intermediate laterally extending crossed supporting members of resilient material disposed obliquely to the plane in which the armature lies and substantially perf" pendicular to each other and to the blade. Y

3. In an electromagnetically operated hair clipper provided with,a casing, an actuator for the clipping blade having an armature at one end and a bladeV actuating member at the other end, intermediate laterally extending '-ilat springs oblique to the plane in`which the amature lies and disposed in planes substantially perpendicular to each other and to the blade, said springs each having a xed ,connectionI with the casing at one end and also having another portion in illxed connection with the actuating member, a shunt-bar connected with one oi' said springs and means for adjusting the shunt bar to vary the intensity of that portion ofthe magnetic eld in which the armature lies.

4. In an electromagnetically operated hair clipper the combination with a supporting caslng, of a set of relatively ixed andmovableblades, resilient pressure applying means for the movable blade, adapted to guide it in substantially straight line shearing relation to the tlxed blade, an electromagnet having a blade actuating armature, a flat spring having one end connected with the front end of the armature and another end connected with the casing at the rear of the armature connection, said spring having its wider faces in vertical.l planes extending obliquely to the plane of armature vibration, a connection between the armature and the movable blade, and `means for resiliently modifying the movement of said connection comprising a flat spring Y in a plane transverse to the rst mentioned spring with one end secured to said connection and the other end supported `from the side of the casing at which the armature is located, whereby the connection between the armature and blade may oscillate upon a shifting pivotal axis determined by the combined efIect of the sides of the crossing point from their casing supported ends, and electromagnetic means for oscillating the blade actuator in a direction modified by the resistance of the blade and the resilient resistance of the springs to its movement, said blade actuator having a forked head in oscillatory connection with the blade and said blade being provided with resilient pressure applying and guiding means. v

6. In an electromagnetically operated hair clipper the combination with a supporting casing having an obliquely disposed shear plate at one end thereof and a vibratory cutter blade mounted thereon and provided with guiding. and tensioning means for holding the cutter blade to the shear plate for straight line vibratory movement, of a blade actuator having crossed supporting springs of rectangular cross section connected respectively with the casing and having their wider faces disposed within a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the blade actuator vibrates, and means for oscillating the blade actuator in floating movements determined by the blade and the combined action of the springs.v

7. In an electromagnetic hair clipper provided with a. casing, a relatively fixed toothed shearand other ends connected with the casing, and,

electromagnetic means for oscillating said actuating member in directions determined by the flexion of the springs. Y

8. An electromagneticallyoperated hair clipper comprising the combination with a casing of non-conducting material provided with a comb plate mounting, a toothed shearing comb plate secured to the mounting, a toothed vibratory cutter blade laterally reciprocable in shearing relation to the teeth of the comb plate, an electromagnet and associated vibratory armature within the casing, a connector secured to the armature and having a non-conducting portion in rocker bearing motion transmitting connection with the vibratory cutter, and a set of crossed flat springs disposed for flexion in horizontal planes and respectively connecting opposite side portions of the connector with the casing. i

9. In an electromgnetically operated hair clipper having a casing provided at one end with an obliquely disposed shear plate, a `vibratory shearing blade and tensioning means for guiding said blade in a substantially straight line along the shear plate and for holding the same to the shear plate under resilient pressure, of a blade actuator, a set of fiat springs respectively connected to opposite side portions of the actuator with their flat faces in planes `perpendicular to the bottom of the casing, said springs being intermediately crossed and connected with the casing at the opposite side of the crossing point from that occupied by said blade,.and electromagnetic means for oscillating the blade actuator.

MATH'EW ANDIS. 

